Newsworthy No More?

Since I last wrote during Passover, there were campus protests on the grounds of many major universities.  Commencement traditions have been canceled, scaled back, and held with heightened security.  There are now students who have been encouraged to flee for their safety or offered virtual learning. Some are demanding refunds of their tuition or alumni are withdrawing donor support. University administrators have openly mocked panels dealing with antisemitism and are attempting to quash lawsuits over failure to respond.

Meanwhile the war in Gaza rages on.  Protestors in the US clash with fellow protestors at “pride parades” with the very un-self-aware among them listed as “Queers for Palestine.”  According to Reason,

“There are aspects of the Israel-Palestine debate, and the territorial disputes, that are more complex than many would probably like to admit. This aspect? Not so much, because “Queers for Palestine” is about as convincing as “minks for fur coats.””

One must wonder why so little of the actual conflict and reasons behind it are considered newsworthy, ranking behind “summer” and “Tesla” and barely peeking its head on A6 of a major national paper.

But antisemitism in this world is still newsworthy because it has been fed to maturation by our media/social media.  The antisemites know how to get their message out to saturation on social media and dupe the ignorant among us.

No Christian should be an antisemite.  We can be against a war, but how many people would tolerate neighbors throwing Molotov cocktails over the fence into their yards or paragliding in and shooting up your graduation party?  We’re 10 months out and still nothing justifies what Hamas did on October 7.  Nothing. 

What shall we do? Simply let time make us forget?
No. God would have us call on His Name to Remember.
Jews and Gentiles are heirs together,
but God’s enemies are legion.

“But God is my King from long ago; He brings salvation on the earth.  
Remember how the enemy has mocked You, LORD,
how foolish people have reviled Your Name.”
Psalm 74:12,18

For those simply against a war, do they feel the same about the war in Ukraine or in any of the areas of the world currently experiencing conflict?  I dare say many of the young people protesting have no idea about other areas of the world.

Nothing will fix what Hamas did except for a radical, total, spiritual transformation and a miracle that comes with understanding Jews and non-Jews are heirs together…in Christ.

“For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility” (Ephesians 2:14)

Questions to ponder:

Why does spiritual darkness have a louder cultural voice than Christianity?

Does the culture object to antisemitism the way it does to pro-Jewish voices?

What is the biggest obstacle that Hamas has regarding learning about and becoming Christian?

Father God, please help our world to see the evils of hatred of another people group on account of their heritage. I ask Father that You would open the eyes of even those who are terrorists that they might see the evil they are perpetrating upon the world; they would repent; and turn to You Lord God while there is still time. You asked us to pray for our enemies and yet we know that when we pray for our enemies, we’re also bringing them up to Your throne for You to deal with them. In prayer, we’re placing them on the battleground that is spiritual. So, Lord, we ask for Your mighty intervention to put an end to war no matter where it’s going on so that lives would be saved in the moment in hopes of the lives being saved for eternity. May we preach the gospel of peace and as You cause it to be heard above the cacophony that is conflict and chaos. We thank You for our Lord Jesus; we thank You that He destroyed the dividing barrier that wall of hostility; and praise You that He is our peace. We offer You glory in His mighty Name. Amen.